The First Meeting After the Ringwraiths
by Rose-Arwen-Padme
Summary: According to a Liv Tyler commentary, there was actually a lovely AA scene in FOTR that didn't make it into even the extended edition. Off a few basic details, this is my own take on it. It's sweet, promise, & worth it. Title says it all.


**PLEASE READ:** On the extended DVD there are several commentaries, including a cast one with Liv Tyler. At the point of the film after Frodo wakes up in the bed in Rivendell and he's talking to Gandalf, Liv Tyler says:

"There's an interesting moment in all this later on as well where he's with Sam and he kind of looks off, out, into, over Rivendell and you don't ever see what he is looking at but we shot a sequence where he sees me, and I look up at him, and Aragorn comes and meets me, and you see us kind of have this tender moment and we walk away, but that little moment never made it into the films, so..."

**THAT WAS IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL TO THE STORY!!! I HOPE YOU READ IT!!!!

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**First Meeting After the Ringwraiths**

**By Rose-Arwen-Padmé**

Her small feet moved slowly across the grass, her red train following behind her, rolling over the lush earth. A smile was in her eyes; she knew that sooner or later, hopefully sooner, Aragorn would come to find her. The thought of it extended the smile from her blue pools to her lips. It was pointless to go find him. Always needed, he'd gone to converse with her brothers, Elledan and Elrohir, about news that they had and he must hear. However, she knew that as soon as Aragorn learned all there was to know about the situation, he wouldn't waste a moment to search for her. He was, after all, a ranger-- and rangers were _ever so good_ at their quests.

Arwen sighed, the weight of her frustrations becoming an audible sound. She had not seen him since she left him that cold night. There had been no choice but to separate, and she'd raced off with Frodo on Asfaloth. The anxiety, exhaustion, and fear had all been evident in his eyes as he whispered to her softly.

_"Arwen… ride hard, don't look back."_

She was keenly able to recognize the two messages in those few words. The first was the more obvious-- he didn't want her to look back and see anything that would scare her, like approaching horde of hunters that would slaughter her mercilessly for her cargo. However, they both knew she would be frightened all the same.

The second meaning was more bittersweet. He had pleaded with her to not think about him on her perilous journey. His desire was only for her to think about getting to Rivendell as soon as she could, where she would be safe in her father's lands.

That hadn't worked either. When she was the most frightened while riding from the Ringwraiths, zig-zagging through the trees at rapid speed, the thought of him had motivated her to move and encourage Asfaloth. He had always been her strength, her drive. A mob of soulless predators only exemplified that fact, not diminished it.

But Arwen had not seen him since, and she hadn't stopped thinking about him since the dreadful event. Her father had visited her, and between his joy that she was safe and scolding of how foolish she had been, the pride shone through in his voice at her brave act. And yet, as much as she loved her father, it was not his comforting arms around her that she yearned for the most. She longed to be embraced by Aragorn, enveloped in his very essence. Perhaps then, any lingering fear of her dark hunters would be abated.

Instinctively, Arwen felt someone's intent gaze upon her. She looked up several feet to a balcony nearby. The hobbit Frodo Baggins was walking gingerly with his friend Samwise Gamgee, experiencing the wonder and beauty of Rivendell, her glorious home. There eyes connected across the long distance, and a warm bond echoed through them with sincere vibrations. The look of extreme gratitude and appreciation was obvious on his face, his eyes saying more than his words ever could-- that he was forever grateful to her for saving his life.

Arwen smiled back pleasantly, very happy to see Frodo up and walking around. He had seemed beyond aid when she had at last arrived at Rivendell. She remembered all to clearly the gaps and muffled hushes when Elledan had carried his cold, gray form through the hallways-- she'd been directly behind, exhausted and near collapse, but refusing to leave Frodo's side. Yet the talents of her father's healing never ceased to amaze her. Proud and mesmerized, she'd watched for a time as her beloved Ada had performed what mortal Men called 'miracles', Gandalf's unintelligible mutterings drifting from over their shoulders, blaming himself for Frodo's peril and injury.

Arwen shifted her gaze to Sam, who in turn grinned shyly at her and dropped his eyes. He fitted with the cuffs on his sleeves timidly. The smallest tint of red, a result of extreme humbleness and modesty, was evident on his cheeks.

She smiled in turn, and again she felt a new bond between her and a hobbit. _What unique little creatures, _she mused silently. The gratitude was not merely present in his eyes; indeed, his whole face shown with the thanks he had for this elf-maiden, who'd selflessly risked so much to bring his closest friend to safety.

Suddenly, Arwen felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around immediately, anxious to face Aragorn. He was clearly tired, but it did not hinder that unforgettable look he gave her. "Estel," she sighed, raising her hand to his rugged cheek. "You're here." The pads of her fingers caressed his grizzly skin tenderly.

Her eyes, radiant in the sunlight, seemed to fill his whole universe. Her crimson dress contrasted against her black hair elegantly, and he yearned to touch it. "Arwen," he whispered breathlessly, beyond relief to finally see her before him.

Arwen remembered that they were not actually alone. "Frodo is getting well, if word has not yet reached you. He is walking now, and watching us on the balcony above." She would have looked in the direction of the balcony to indicate where Frodo was, but he had so strong a pull on her eyes that she could not look away.

"Hmmm," Aragorn murmured, distracted. He couldn't think of Frodo now, not when this maiden was standing in front of him. "Really?"

Arwen smiled even more, running her hand through his brown hair, tucking it behind his ear tenderly. "Are you listening to a word I am saying?"

"Absorbing every word," Aragorn answered, truthfully. He cupped her face like it was a delicate jewel, too precious for this grim earth. "You are safe, Arwen," he said firmly. "The Ringwraiths cannot hurt you here."

Arwen smiled with puzzlement at his strange comment. "Aragorn, what fear is possessing you? I know I am safe here; Rivendell will protect us well. Besides, the Wraiths were washed away with the flood."

Aragorn laughed at himself, realizing his unusual comment. "I know, I know." He ran his fingers over her red lips. "I think I was confirming that more to myself than to you. My heart has not stopped pounding like horse hooves since you rode away on Asfaloth."

Arwen quickly stepped forward and wrapped her hands around his head, and then bent it towards her to kiss his forehead lovingly. When she pulled back she muttered, "Neither has mine, Aragorn. But we are here now. We are together." She didn't step back, keeping their new proximity.

Aragorn smiled, and then noticed that there were still two hobbits standing on a balcony above. "But if such is the case with Frodo, then you and I must find a place in Rivendell more private to talk. We cannot have prying eyes intruding on our reunion." He grinned, taking her hand and leading her away.

Aragorn led her to a clearing in the gardens, surrounded by hedges eight feet high, where no one could stand from a balcony and look in. He took her hands in his own trembling ones. He brought them up near his chest and seemed to examine them, memorizing every line as his thumbs rubbed her knuckles Then, one at a time, he brought an open palm up and kissed it lastingly. This simple motion touched Arwen beyond words as she felt the depth of his subtle yet strong protectiveness.

"These hands," he whispered. "These hands are attached to this body…" he ran his fingertips up her arms softly, sending a warm chill down her spine. "This body," his palms shaped her shoulders, and he stepped forward, "was… _hunted_—" he spat the word, "by demons more treacherous and evil than anything you have ever faced." He sighed, stepping closer. "And you had to face them alone."

"Estel," Arwen sighed. "Thi—this heart," she placed a tender hand on his chest, "gave me the courage to make it through it."

Aragorn took one final step, enveloping her in his arms as he rested his chin on her shoulder. His nostrils breathed in the flowery scent of her in drunkenly. "How long as it been since we have been together, my dream?"

"Too long," she answered. Though the emptiness she had felt earlier was gone now that Aragorn was by her side, the pain of even breathing without him was still near. "Too long. But I do not fear, Estel, for I know that it will not always be so." She spoke half to him, half to herself. "It won't always be so."

He only smiled, burying his face in the soft black that was her cascading hair. He slowly pulled back, and then leaned in again to kiss her lips with the utmost reverence. They both treasured the sweet kiss, each silently praying there would be many more to come.

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**_Finis_**


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